The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-06-02

that ship as It comes out Of that engage
ment, its decks red with human blood
wheel-house gone, the cabin q pile oil
shattered mirrors and destroyed furni.
| ture, steering wheel broken, SIN oke-stacb
crushed, q one hundred pound Whitworth
rife shot having left its mark from port tC
starboard, the shrouds rent away, ladders
! splintered and decks plowed up, and
smoke-blackened and scalded corpses
| lying among those who are eesping their
last gasp, far away from home and kiu-
dred, whom they love az much as we love
| wife and parents and children, Not wait
| ing until you are dead to put upon your
| graves wreath of recognition, this hour
we put on your living brow the garland
" nations praise.
o, men of the Western Gulf squadron,
OF the Eastera Gulf squadron, OF the
South Atlantic squadron, OF the North
Atlantic squadron, of the West India
| squadron and of the Potomac fiOtilla, hear
our thanksl Take the benediction Of our
| churches. Accept the Inequalities OF the
nation. If we had our way we would get
you not only a pension, but home and a
prncely wardrobe, and an equipage and
a banquet while You live, and after your
departure a catafalq ne, and a mausoleum
| of SCul ptured marble, with a model of the
| ship IN which you won the day. 1t is com
sidered gallant thing when IN a naval
| fight the flagship, with Its blue ensign,
goes ahead up river or into bay, its
Admiral standing IN tho shrouds watching
and giving orders. Bat have to tell you,
o veterans OF the American navy, If you
are as loyal to Christ as you were to
the Government there is a flag ship sail.
ing ahead Of you OF which Christ Is the
4 oil ln f1hn frnn hn
shroads, and the heavens are the b ue
ensgn, and he leads you toward the har-
Dor, and all the br0ad-sidcs Of earth and
hell can not damage you, and We, whose
Rarnl ents were once red with Yoar own
blood shall have robe washed and made
white in the blood of the Lamb. Then
strike eight bellsl High noon IN heavenl
With such anticipation, q veterans of
the American navyI | charge you bear
up under the aches and weaknesses that
you still carry from the war times. You
are not as stalwart as you would have
been but for that nervous strain and for
that terrible exposure Let every ache
and pain, instead of depressing, remind
You of your fidelity. The sinking of the
Weehawken off Morris Island, December
8, 1863, was a mystery. She wac n5t under
Are. The sea was not rough. But Adj
miral Dahlgren, from the deck Of the flag
steamer Philadelphia, saw her gradually
sinking, andtinally she struck tho ground,
but the flag still toated above the waves
IN the sight of the shipping 1t was after
ward found that she sank from weakness
through injlries received in previous
service. Her plates had been knocked
loose IN previous times. So you have in
nerve, and muscle, and bone, and dimmcd
4 ; h.
ness of breath many intimatons that you
are gradually going down. 1t is the
service of twonty-three years ago that is
telling on you. Be OF good cheer. We
owe you just as much as though your life
blood had gurgied through the scuppers
of the ship in the Red River expedition, or
as though you had gone down with the
Melville off Hatteras, Only keep your
flag flying as did the illustrious Wee
kawken.
Good cheer, my boys The memory of
man is poor, and all that talk about the
country never forgetting those who
fought for it is an untruth. 1t does for
get. Witness how the veterans come
times had to turn the hand organs Oh the
street to get their families living. Wit
ness how ruthless Y some of them have
been turned out Of Cffire that some bloat
Of a politician might take their place.
Witness the fact that there is not a man
or woman now under thirty years of age
who has any full appreciation of the four
years martyrdOm of 1861 to 1868 inClu-
sive. But while mon may forget, God
never forgets. He remembers the swing
ing hammock. He remembers the fore.
castle He remembers the frozen ropes
OF that January tempest He remembe rs
the amputation without sufficient ether.
He remembers the horrors of that
deafening night when forts from both
sides belched on you their fury, and the
heavens glowed with the ascend
ing and descending missiles of death,
and your ship quaked under the re-
coil of the )0-pounder, while all
the gunners, according to command, stood
on tiptoe with mouth wide open lest the
conCussion shatter hearing or brain. He
remembers it all better than you remcm-
Der it, and in some shape reward will be
given. Gsd is the best of all paymasters,
and for those who do their whole duty to
Him and the world the pension awarded
is an everlasting Heaven.
Sometimes off the coast Of En- gland the
royal family have inspected the British
navy, Unanswered before them for that
| purpose. In the Baltic sea the Gar
and CZarina have reviewed the Rus
sian navy To bring before the
American people the debt they owe &c
the navy, l go out with you on the At
lantic ocean, whore there is plenty OF
| room, and in imag nation review the war
shipping of our three great cOnfli cts
1776 1872 and 1865. Swing into line all W
frigates, iron-clads, fire-rafts, gunboats
and men-of- war. There they come, al
sail set and all furnaces in full blast,
sheaves of crystal tossing rom their cut
ting prows. That is the Delaware, an ole
| revolutionary craft, commanded by Com
modore Decatur. Wonder goes the Con
stitution, Commodore Hull com manding g
There is the Chesapeake, commanded by
Captain Lawrence, whose dying words
were: Don't give up the ship" and the
| Niagara, of 1872, commanded by Comma
dore Perry, wlo wrote on the back of ar
old letter, resting on his navy cap: ave
have met the enemy, and they are ours. ,
YOnder is the flagship Wa bash, Admir-.
al Dupont commanding; yon Ter the fay
ship Minnesota, Adm raj Colds borough
commanding; youder the ii gship Phila
delpha, Admiral Dahlgran commanding
yonler the flagship San Jacintc, Admira
Bailey commanding; yonder the f4gshiI
Black Hawk, Admiral Porter command
ing; yonder the flag steamer Benton, Ad
miral FoOte commanding; yonder the
flagship Hartford, David GlascCe Farra
gut commanding. And IOw all the squad
rons Of all departments, from sma les
tug-boat to mightiesJ man of war, arc il
process sion; decks and rigging filed witt
the men who fought on the sea for the
oil flag ever since We were a nation
g audeSt fleet the word ever saw Sal